Captain America (1944)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Directors:

Elmer Clifton
John English

Writers:

Royal K. Cole (writer) and
Harry L. Fraser (writer) ...

Release Date:

5 February 1944 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Sci-Fi

Plot:

Superhero Captain America battles the evil forces of the archvillain called The Scarab, who poisons his enemies and steals a secret device capable of destroying buildings by sound vibrations. |

Plot Keywords:

Scarab | Superhero | Mask | Henchman | Jewelry

Cast

Dick Purcell	...	Captain America / Grant Gardner
Lorna Gray	...	Gail Richards
Lionel Atwill	...	Dr. Cyrus Maldor
Charles Trowbridge	...	Commissioner Dryden
Russell Hicks	...	Mayor Randolph
George J. Lewis	...	Bart Matson
John Davidson	...	Gruber
Norman Nesbitt	...	Newscaster
Frank Reicher	...	Prof. Lyman [Ch. 1]
Hugh Sothern	...	Prof. Dodge [Chs. 2-5]
Tom Chatterton	...	J.C. Henley [Chs. 6-8]
Robert Frazer	...	Dr. Clinton Lyman [Chs. 10-12]
John Hamilton	...	Hillman [Chs. 13-14]
Crane Whitley	...	Dirk [Chs. 11-12]
Edward Keane	...	Scarab Agent 33 [Ch. 15]

Also Known As:

Return of Captain America (USA) (reissue title)

Runtime:

244 min (15 chapters)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Company:

Republic Pictures (I)

Trivia:

In Captain America's original story, a man named Steve Rogers - who is too weak and puny to fight in World War II - is injected with a Super-Soldier Serum and develops an enhanced physique, after which he becomes Captain America. The good Captain is the second hero, and the first American character, to possess such an enhanced physique (the first hero being Ilya Muromets, the Russian equivalent to King Arthur). This back-story was rejected by Republic during the making of this serial, as it would have required costly retakes at the time. In the serial, Captain America's real name is Grant Gardner, he is the city's district attorney, and his foe is the Scarab, aka Karl Maaldor, played by Lionel Atwill - and this altered story is why Marvel Comics suppressed the serial for years. Fantasy illustrator as well as movie serial and comic book enthusiast Larry Ivy believed the story for this production may have been initially developed as a follow-up to the highly-regarded serial Mysterious Doctor Satan (1940), featuring its hero, The Copperhead. According to Ivy, a desire to bring "Cap" to the screen quickly by using a script already on hand resulted in the minimal resemblance to the comic book.

Quotes:

[first lines]
The Scarab: This is the voice of the Scarab, Wilson. I command you to drive your car over the cliff!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Best Man (2005)

Only the suit remains from the comic in a great pure nonsense serial full of fantastic action

Yes it's the Captain America of the comics, but only in regard to the suit. Instead of a super soldier fighting Nazi's here we have a district attorney fighting the scarab who is killing off the members of an archaeological expedition using a gas that leave purple blotches. Starring Dick Purcell as the Captain and Lionel Atwill as the Scarab this is neat little serial. Neat as in fun, not in regard to story. Well acted and well filmed, the story is a complete nonsensical mess. Nothing makes any real sense, trust me your brain will go into knots if you take it seriously, even on its own terms. Mostly you watch it because of the cast having such a great time and because the action is some of the best in any serial. The action scenes are huge explosions of chaos that seem bigger and more dangerous then almost any other chapter play. Usually they end in wild cliffhangers that are so daunting that the only way for the hero to escape is for the filmmakers to cheat. And cheat they do. There is a reason that the documentaries I've seen on serials use footage from this film to illustrate how the serials cheated, namely almost every cliffhanger involves a cheat. Even though it makes no sense and the cliffhangers cheat this is still a blast to watch. There is something to put on when you want some mindless (wholesome) action. Recommended.